What if everything you love was taken from you in the blink of an eye? "The Host" is the next epic love story from the creator of the "Twilight Saga," worldwide bestselling author, Stephenie Meyer. When an unseen enemy threatens mankind by taking over their bodies and erasing their memories, Melanie Stryder (Saoirse Ronan) will risk everything to protect the people she cares most about — Jared (Max Irons), Ian (Jake Abel), her brother Jamie (Chandler Canterbury) and her Uncle Jeb (William Hurt), proving that love can conquer all in a dangerous new world.

Ronan was 13 years old when she earned an Oscar nomination for her critically acclaimed starring performance in Joe Wright’s “Atonement.” She is currently in production on Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel opposite Ralph Fiennes and Bill Murray. She has also wrapped production on the independent feature How I Live Now directed by Kevin McDonald and upcoming will begin Working Title’s Mary Queen of Scots and How To Catch a Monster directed by Ryan Gosling. Ronan will next be seen in Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, opposite Gemma Atterton, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. IFC will release the film this Spring.

In 2011, Ronan played the title role in Hanna, about a teenage girl trained from birth to be an assassin. Directed by Joe Wright, the film starred Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana. Previously Ronan was honored by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for her performance in The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson, and nominated for a BAFTA Award in the Leading Actress category.

Other film credits include Violet and Daisy, The Way Back, directed by Peter Weir and starring Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess; City of Ember, starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins and Toby Jones; Amy Heckerling’s I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd; Bill Clark’s The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey; and Gillian Armstrong’s Death Defying Acts, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce.

Ronan was 13 years old when she earned an Oscar nomination for her critically acclaimed starring performance in Joe Wright’s “Atonement.” She is currently in production on Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel opposite Ralph Fiennes and Bill Murray. She has also wrapped production on the independent feature How I Live Now directed by Kevin McDonald and upcoming will begin Working Title’s Mary Queen of Scots and How To Catch a Monster directed by Ryan Gosling. Ronan will next be seen in Neil Jordan’s Byzantium, opposite Gemma Atterton, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. IFC will release the film this Spring.

In 2011, Ronan played the title role in Hanna, about a teenage girl trained from birth to be an assassin. Directed by Joe Wright, the film starred Cate Blanchett and Eric Bana. Previously Ronan was honored by the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for her performance in The Lovely Bones, directed by Peter Jackson, and nominated for a BAFTA Award in the Leading Actress category.

Other film credits include Violet and Daisy, The Way Back, directed by Peter Weir and starring Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Jim Sturgess; City of Ember, starring Bill Murray, Tim Robbins and Toby Jones; Amy Heckerling’s I Could Never Be Your Woman, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Paul Rudd; Bill Clark’s The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey; and Gillian Armstrong’s Death Defying Acts, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Guy Pearce.

Ronan currently resides in Ireland with her parents Monica and Paul.

MAX IRONS

MAX IRONS (Jared) recently appeared Catherine Hardwicke’s “Red Riding Hood” for Warner Bros where he stars alongside Amanda Seyfried and Gary Oldman. He was also seen in the mini-series “The Runaway”, based on Martina Cole’s bestseller for Sky 1.

In 2009 Irons made his professional stage debut in Friedrich Schiller’s “Wallenstein”, at the Chichester Festival Theatre for which he has been nominated for the prestigious Ian Charleson Award.

Irons is currently in Belgium in production on “The White Queen” where he portrays Edward IV of England. The series, based on Philippa Gregory’s bestselling historical novel series The Cousin’s War is scheduled to premiere on BBC One and Starz later this year.

Irons graduated from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in the summer of 2008. His theatrical training has included roles in “Oedipus”, “The Revenger’s Tragedy”, “The Cherry Orchard”, “London Cuckolds”, “Twelfth Night”, “Plenty”, “Semi-Monde”, “Under The Blue Sky”, and “New Girls In Town”.

Irons currently resides in London.

DIANE KRUGER

DIANE KRUGER (Seeker) was recently seen as Marie Antoinette in Benoît Jacquot’s Farewell, My Queen, which opened the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival to rave reviews. In 2011 Kruger starred in Quentin Tarantino’s critically acclaimed hit Inglourious Basterds, opposite Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz and Michael Fassbender. The film premiered at Cannes in 2009, then reached No. 1 at the box office and went on to gross over $300 million worldwide. For her performance Kruger earned a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role. She shared in the film’s SAG Award for Best Ensemble Cast.

Born in Germany, Kruger was first launched to international fame as the infamous Helen in Wolfgang Petersen’s Troy, opposite Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom. That same year she starred with Josh Hartnett in Paul McGuigan’s Wicker Park. Kruger has since starred in both the U.S. and in Europe in such films as Jon Turteltaub’s National Treasure, opposite Nicolas Cage; the Oscar-nominated French film Joyeux Noel, with Benno Fürmann; Copying Beethoven, with Ed Harris; Bille August’s ode to Nelson Mandela, Goodbye Bafana, also starring Joseph Fiennes; and Anything for Her (Pour elle), for director Fred Cavayé.

Other credits include a dual role in Mr. Nobody, alongside Jared Leto, Sarah Polley and Rhys Ifans, and Inhale, Baltasar Kormákur’s harrowing indie feature about organ trafficking, with Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney and Patricia Arquette. Kruger also recently starred opposite Djimon Hounsou in the French action adventure Special Forces, from director Stéphane Rybojad.

JAKE ABEL

With two highly anticipated films in 2013, Jake Abel will soon establish himself among Hollywood’s next generation of up and coming actors.

Jake Abel will next star in Open Road Films’ “The Host,” a science fiction thriller adapted from Stephenie Meyers’ (Twilight) bestselling novel of the same name. The film is directed by Andrew Niccol and also stars Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Diane Kruger and William Hurt. The film tells the story of an alien race, which takes over Earth and its inhabitants. Soairse’s character finds herself in a love triangle with Max and Jake’s characters. The film will be released on March 29, 2013.

Abel will also star in 20th Century Fox’s “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters,” the second film in the Percy Jackson series, directed by Thor Freudenthal. The film will be released on August 16, 2013. The first film, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief,” directed by Christopher Columbus, grossed over $230 million worldwide and was released February 12, 2010.

Abel’s start in feature films was in 2008 with a role in “Strange Wilderness,” a feature film produced by Adam Sandler starring Steve Zahn. Also in 2008, Abel was seen in the Universal Pictures film “Flash of Genius,” directed by Marc Abraham. The film stars Greg Kinnear, Alan Alda, Dermot Mulroney and Lauren Graham. The film won the auspicious Sloan Award at the Hamptons Film Festival where Abel was also recognized for his performance by being selected as a “Rising Star” where he was among only 6 international actors and actresses chosen. Also in 2008, Abel starred alongside Jane Lynch in the independent film “Tru Loved” directed by Stewart Wade, which opened the 20th Annual Newfest Film Festival in New York.

In 2010, Abel was seen in the Dreamworks film “The Lovely Bones,” directed by Peter Jackson and starred Mark Wahlberg, Rachel Weisz and Saoirse Ronan. The film was adapted from the best-selling novel by Alice Sebold and was released on January 15, 2010.

In 2011, Abel was seen in the Dreamworks film “I Am Number Four,” directed by D.J. Caruso. His costars included Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron. The film was released on February 18, 2011.

His television credits include roles on “ER,” “CSI: NY,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and an arc on the CW’s “Supernatural.”
Abel started taking theater classes while growing up in Ohio. When he was fifteen, his family moved to South Carolina where he began taking improvisation classes at the Charleston Stage Theater. Once realizing his passion for acting, he moved to Los Angeles where he studied at The Groundlings.

Jake Abel currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

CHANDLER CANTERBURY

CHANDLER CANTERBURY (Jamie) is one of the brightest and intriguing young actors to emerge in recent years. With a subtle approach, vivid imagination, and incredible emotional range, Chandler has blossomed into one of Hollywood's most diverse talents.

He will next be seen playing a lead role in “The Host” alongside Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, and William Hurt, written and directed by Andrew Niccol (“In Time,” “Gattaca,” “The Truman Show”) based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer (Twilight Saga). Chandler plays Jamie Stryder, the brother of Melanie (Ronan), a captured human whose body becomes the host for a parasitic alien “soul” named Wanderer. Surviving the Soul’s implantation into her body, Melanie develops a relationship with Wanderer and together they try to locate the last pocket of surviving humans on Earth including Melanie’s brother Jamie.

Chandler will soon be seen starring in “Standing Up” (aka “Goat Island”) based on Brock Cole’s young adult novel. Written and directed by DJ Caruso (“Eagle Eye,” “Disturbia,” “I Am Number Four”), the film centers around two kids at summer camp who are less than popular with their peers. A cruel prank leaves Howie (Canterbury) and Grace stranded on Goat Island with nothing but their surroundings to cover them up. The two decide to eschew the sheer humiliation of going back to camp and instead disappear and embark on an adventure together that turns into an odyssey of self-discovery. Val Kilmer and Radha Mitchell also star.

Canterbury previously wrapped a lead role in the indie “Plastic Jesus” written by Bryan Bertino (“The Strangers”), directed by Erica Dunton (2011 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner “To.Get.Her”), and produced by Heather Rae (2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner “Frozen River”). Mackenzie Foy, Hilarie Burton, and Paul Schneider also star in this coming-of-age story, in the vein of "Stand By Me," which follows three small-town kids who encounter mystery, loss and hope.

He will soon be seen playing a lead role in the family drama “When Angels Sing” alongside Harry Connick, Jr., Connie Britton, Kris Kristofferson, and Willie Nelson. Chandler plays David, the son of college professor Michael Walker (Connick, Jr.) who hates the holidays because of a family tragedy that occurred when he was a child. When David faces a tragedy of his own and loses his will to live, Michael must come to terms with his past in order to help save his son. The film is headlining the 2013 South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival alongside New Line’s “The Incredible Burt Wonderstone” and Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers”.

Chandler has recent lead roles in the 2011 SXSW favorite “A Bag of Hammers” alongside Jason Ritter, Rebecca Hall, and Carrie Preston, as well as the inspirational family film “Little Red Wagon” directed by David Anspaugh (“Rudy”). His other credits include a starring role in Summit’s sci-fi thriller “Know1ng” alongside Nicolas Cage and directed by Alex Proyas (“I, ROBOT”), playing young Brad Pitt in David Fincher’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” the psychological thriller “After.Life” opposite Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci, Universal’s futuristic thriller “Repo Men” alongside Jude Law, and a special guest lead on the acclaimed FOX series “Fringe.” In 2008, Chandler won a Young Artist Award for his chilling guest star performance on the CBS hit series "Criminal Minds." A native of Houston, Texas, Chandler also enjoys playing guitar and football.

WILLIAM HURT

Academy Award winner William Hurt trained at Tufts University and The Juilliard School of Music and Drama. He has been nominated for four Academy Awards and recently received an Emmy nomination for Lead Actor in a Movie or Mini-Series for HBO’s “Too Big to Fail.” In 2009, Hurt also received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for his recurring role on FX’s award winning series, “Damages.”

Hurt has most recently been seen in HBO’s “Too Big to Fail” as US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. The film, which premiered May 2011, chronicles the financial meltdown of 2008 and includes Paul Giamatti, Cynthia Nixon, Topher Grace and Tony Shalhoub. Hurt also received acclaim for his portrayal of Captain Ahab alongside Ethan Hawke and Gillian Anderson in the Starz mini-series “Moby Dick.” He also stared in Julie Gavras’ “Late Bloomers” alongside Isabella Rossellini.

In 2010, Hurt appeared in Ridley Scott’s “Robin Hood” with Russell Crowe and Cate Blanchett. In addition, Hurt was seen in “The Yellow Handkerchief” opposite Maria Bello, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009.

In 2008, Hurt appeared in Marvel Studio’s “The Incredible Hulk” opposite Edward Norton, and portrayed the President in the dramatic thriller “Vantage Point” opposite Dennis Quaid and Forest Whitaker.

In 2007, Hurt appeared in “Into the Wild,” directed by Sean Penn. The cast, which included Emile Hirsch and Marcia Gay Harden, was nominated for Best Ensemble by the Screen Actors Guild. That same year, Hurt appeared in MGM’s “Mr. Brooks,” a psychological thriller opposite Kevin Costner and directed by Bruce Evans.

In 2006, Hurt was seen in “The Good Shepherd” written by Eric Roth and directed by Robert DeNiro. The film starred Matt Damon, Robert DeNiro and Angelina Jolie, and spans the history of over 40 years in the CIA, told through the eyes of Edward Wilson, one of its founding officers.

In 2005, Hurt appeared in “A History of Violence” directed by David Cronenberg. Hurt received an Oscar nomination and Best Supporting Actor accolades for the role from the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle and the New York Film Critics Circle. The film screened at the both the Cannes International Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival.

In 1980, Hurt appeared in his first film, "Altered States." He received a Best Actor Oscar nomination for "Broadcast News" and "Children of a Lesser God." For "Kiss of the Spider Woman" he was honored with an Academy Award as well as Best Actor Awards from the British Academy and the Cannes Festival. Among his other film credits are “The King,” “Beautiful Ohio,” “Noise,” “The Village,” “Blue Butterfly,” “Tuck Everlasting,” “Changing Lanes,” Rare Birds,” “Sunshine,” "Body Heat," "The Big Chill," "Eyewitness," "Gorky Park," "Alice," "I Love You to Death," "The Accidental Tourist," "The Doctor," "The Plague," “The Simian Line,” "Trial by Jury," "Second Best," "Smoke," "Confidences a un Inconnu," "Jane Eyre," "Michael," "Dark City,” “Neverwas,” “The Big Brass Ring” and “One True Thing.”

On the small screen, Hurt appeared in a guest role on the hit FX series “Damages,” for which he was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe. His other television credits include the TNT special event series “Nightmares and Dreamscapes,” based on the stories of Stephen King, the Hallmark Channel’s miniseries “Frankenstein” opposite Donald Sutherland, CBS’s “The Flamingo Rising," the title role in the CBS mini-series "Master Spy: The Robert Hanssen Story, The Sci-Fi Channel’s “Dune” and “Varian’s War” for Showtime.

Hurt spent the early years of his career on the stage between drama school, summer stock, regional repertory and Off Broadway, appearing in more than fifty productions including Henry V, 5th of July, Hamlet, Richard II, Hurlyburly (for which he was nominated for a Tony Award), My Life (winning an Obie Award for Best Actor), A Midsummer's Night's Dream and Good.

For radio, Hurt read Paul Theroux's The Great Railway Bazaar, for the BBC Radio Four and Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx. He has recorded The Polar Express, The Boy Who Drew Cats and narrated the documentaries, "Searching for America: The Odyssey of John Dos Passos," "Einstein - How I See the World" and the English narration of Elie Wiesel's "To Speak the Unspeakable," a documentary directed and produced by Pierre Marmiesse.

In 1988, Hurt was awarded the first Spencer Tracy Award from UCLA.

BOYD HOLBROOK

BOYD HOLBROOK (Kyle) was raised in Appalachia of Kentucky where he had the opportunity to steal some peaceful down time learning to play guitar, sculpt and ride horses. His creative interests sparked and he decided to move to New York City to pursue a career in the arts studying at the William Esper Conservatory, NYU- SCPS, while at the same time auditing classes in screenwriting at Columbia University. In addition, he began showing his solo art exhibition at RARE Gallery in Chelsea of his sculpture entitled "Iscariot" followed by a show at PPOW Gallery entitled "Harlan".

During the course of these pursuits, he was also evolving as a talented writer and on a whim sent a screenplay to Gus Van Sant who was so impressed with his talents that he gave him a role in “Milk” starring Sean Penn (Oscars 2009). This led Boyd to other acting opportunities in films such as “Oranges” produced by Anthony Bregman, “Higher Ground”, (Sundance 2011) directed by Vera Farmiga, many indies, and a role in Rob Reiner's “The Magic of Belle Isle.”

Boyd also completed six episodes of Showtime’s The Big C starring Laura Linney and Oliver Platt and soon after completed filming alongside Bill Paxton and Tom Berenger playing Kevin Costner's son in the esteemed miniseries Hatfields and McCoys. After this, he completed production as a lead in the sci-fi thriller “The Host” directed by Andrew Niccol also starring William Hurt , Saoirse Ronan and Diane Kruger.

In addition, he recently shot a role in Scott Cooper's “Out Of The Furnace” with Christian Bale and Robert Duvall and then went into a lead role for Naomi Foner in “Very Good Girls” with Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen.

Staying very busy, he immediately flew to Vegas to start work with the esteemed director Steven Soderbergh on “Behind the Candelabra” playing a love interest to Michael Douglas. Boyd also had the great honor of working with director Terrence Malick on his latest film starring Ryan Gosling and Natalie Portman and is currently in New York shooting Skeleton Twins to be directed by Craig Johnson.

In addition to Boyd's lucrative and busy schedule as an actor, he is also a talented writer. “Uncle Sam,” the script that he wrote, will be produced next year with Boyd at the helm as director.

FRANCES FISHER

FRANCES FISHER (Maggie) was born in Milford On-Sea, England and her itinerant childhood in the UK, Columbia, Canada, France, Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Iowa and Texas undoubtedly provided fodder for her thespian career. After graduating from high school in Orange, Texas, Frances cut her teeth acting on Tennessee Williams & Robert Bolt at The Orange Community Theater. She then apprenticed at the Barter Theatre in Virginia before moving to New York City where her career quickly blossomed.

Ms. Fisher has starred in over 30 theatrical productions including Fool For Love, Desire Under the Elms, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Orpheus Descending, Crackwalker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 1984, and Three More Sleepless Nights (Drama League Award). Her most recent theatre: The Cherry Orchard at The Taper with Annette Bening, Alfred Molina, Sarah Paulson & Jason Butler Harner; a two-hander opposite Paul Ben Victor in Sexy Laundry; favorite staged readings have been Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues; the 9/11/11 reading of My Child - Mothers of War, (interviews of mothers whose children went to war and didn't come home); and Corktown, directed by Larry Moss at the Signature Theatre in NYC.

After a successful reading on International Holocaust Remembrance Day 12/26/11 at the Museum of Tolerance of In Their Own Words, (selected reading of letters written by 1,500 forgotten Holocaust survivors in their 80's and 90's struggling to stay alive in Eastern Europe ), Ms. Fisher co-produced with Zane Buzby, (creator of Survivor Mitzvah), a fundraiser/reading at the Museum of Tolerance on 4/22/12 of In Their Own Words, with Valerie Harper, Elliott Gould, Lainie Kazan, Alan Rosenberg and Ed Asner.

Ms. Fisher's diverse film career spans cool indies to blockbusters to Academy Award Winners: Tough Guys Don’t Dance; Can She Bake A Cherry Pie?; Babyfever; Patty Hearst; Female Perversions; Oscar winning Unforgiven; True Crime; The Big Tease; The Rising Place; Blue Car; Mrs. Harris; The Kingdom; House of Sand & Fog; Laws of Attraction; In The Valley Of Elah; Jolene (Jessica Chastain's first film); The Perfect Game; Golf in the Kingdom; Sedona, and The Lincoln Lawyer. Ms. Fisher is perhaps best known for her memorable performance as Kate Winslet’s mother in Titanic, which garnered her a Screen Actors Guild nomination for Best Ensemble Cast, while the film went on to receive 11 Academy Awards.

In addition to her thriving theater and film career, Ms. Fisher played notable real-people television roles: Lucille Ball in Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter; Audrey Hepburn's mother in The Audrey Hepburn Story (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt, Emmy Rossum and Sarah Hyland in the three stages of Ms. Hepburn's life); and Jackie O's mother, Janet Bouvier in Jackie Bouvier Kennedy Onassis (played by Joanne Whalley). Ms. Fisher had recurring roles on Becker, The Lyons Den, Titus, The Shield, Eureka and Torchwood. Other guest spots include Law & Order; The Mentalist, ER, 2 and a Half Men, Sons of Anarchy, Private Practice, CSI, and A Gifted Man. To this day, she is stopped on the street as fans remember her as Deborah Saxon on the beloved soap opera The Edge of Night, and Suzette Saxon on The Guiding Light. Those jobs were her bread and butter as a budding actress in NYC while she was doing Regional and off-off-Broadway, and doing scene work for Lee Strasberg, as a member of The Actors Studio.

Today, Ms. Fisher continues to play screen Mom to some very interesting talent: She was seen in the #1 Box office hit, The Roommate, playing Leighton Meester's mother; she played Ryan Philippe's mother in Brad Furman's critically acclaimed Lakeshore feature Lincoln Lawyer, opposite Matthew McConaughey; and she played Alessandro Nivola's mother in David Rosenthal's Janie Jones, co-starring Abigail Breslin. Ms. Fisher was recently on AdultSwim in the British Version of Rob Corddry's comedy Children's Hospital, playing the Brit version of Megan Mullally's character, "The Head".

Films this year include Travis Fine's Any Day Now , which won 7 Audience Awards and honored Alan Cumming with numerous Best Actor Awards at Film Festivals, The Silent Thief (Mom to Scout Taylor-Compton and Cody Longo); and The Seven Year Hitch for Hallmark.

In post-production: Ms. Fisher is co-starring with Saoirse Ronan, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger, Boyd Holbrook and William Hurt in Stephenie Meyer's new sci-fi film series, The Host, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, to be released March 2013; Pandora's Box, co-starring with Joe Mantegna; Red Wing with Luke Perry and Bill Paxton; Catherine Harwicke's Plush with Emily Browning; The Makeover with Julia Stiles, Camryn Manheim and David Walton for Hallmark in 2013; Ash Christian's Franny; Henry Jaglom's The "M" Word; and Retribution.

SCOTT LAWRENCE (Doc) began his professional acting career in 1987 when he earned his SAG card on the feature film Punchline. He has recently been seen in the critically acclaimed box-office hits The Social Network, directed by David Fincher, and Avatar, directed by James Cameron. He will next be seen in J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness and the tornado thriller Black Sky, along with a recurring role on the hit show, “Sons of Anarchy.” Previously he played Commander Sturgis Turner for four seasons on Don Bellisario’s long-running drama, “JAG.”

After graduating from USC with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting, Lawrence landed his first TV series, “Bagdad Café,” in the role of Whoopi Goldberg’s son. When the series ended in 1990 he relocated to New York to work in Off Broadway and Off Off Broadway shows. Lawrence was invited into the elite Drama Department Theater Company, for which he performed Tennessee Williams’ three-character play “Kingdom of Earth” with Cynthia Nixon and Peter Sarsgaard, directed by John Cameron Mitchell. His proudest theater moment came when he was cast by Lloyd Richards to play Walter Lee in Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun.”

Lawrence continues to live and work in Hollywood. He is the proud father of two sons, Morgan and Daniel.

ANDREW NICCOL

ANDREW NICCOL (Director, Writer) may be best known for The Truman Show. Starring Jim Carrey, the film received three Academy Award nominations including Best Original Screenplay and Niccol won the BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay. Niccol burst on the scene by writing and directing Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. This heady sci-fi film was an Academy Award nominee for Best Art Direction.

Most recently Niccol wrote, produced and directed In Time, a futuristic thriller starring Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Previously he wrote, produced and directed Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage (who also served as a producer).

Prior to that Niccol wrote the original story for and was executive producer of Steven Spielberg’s The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. He also wrote, produced and directed the satire Simone, starring Al Pacino.

Born in New Zealand, Niccol was a writer and director of commercials in London before coming to Los Angeles to make films longer than 60 seconds, as he puts it.

NICK WECHSLER

NICK WECHSLER (Producer) was a founder and co-chairman of Industry Entertainment (formerly Addis-Wechsler and Associates), a prominent management/production company. In 2005, he left Industry Entertainment to form Nick Wechsler Productions. Wechsler recently produced sci-fi thriller “The Host,” based on Stephanie Meyer’s best-selling novel, adapted and directed by Andrew Niccol, and starring Saoirse Ronan, William Hurt, Max Irons, Jake Abel, Diane Kruger and Francis Fisher, set for release in March 2013, and “Under the Skin,” based on the Michael Faber novel, adapted and directed by Jon Glazer and starring Scarlett Johansson. Wechsler is also now in post-production on “Serena”, based on the novel by Ron Rash and directed by Academy Award winner Susanne Bier, and starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence and “Magic Mike”, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Matthew McConaughey, scheduled for a summer release. Wechsler and partners are also producing “The Counselor”, written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by three time Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem which is due for release in 2013.

Wechsler’s other producing credits are a distinctive and award-winning mix of independent and studio films including “The Road,” a Venice Film Festival Golden Lion selection; “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” “We Own the Night,” a Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or selection; “The Fountain,” a Venice Film Festival Golden Lion selection; “North Country,” for which Charlize Theron and Frances McDormand earned Oscar and Golden Globe Award nominations; “Requiem for a Dream,” which earned an Independent Spirit Award Best Picture nomination and an Oscar nomination for star Ellen Burstyn; “The Yards,” a Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or selection; “Quills” a Best Picture winner from the National Board of Review; “Eve’s Bayou,” an Independent Spirit Award winner for Best First Feature; “Love Jones,” a Sundance Film Festival Audience Award winner for Best Film; “Little Odessa,” which won the Venice Film Festival Silver Lion Award; “The Player,” a Golden Globe Award winner for Best Motion Picture, Comedy; and “Drugstore Cowboy,” which took Best Film honors from the National Society of Film Critics. He was also an executive producer of “sex, lies and videotape,” which received the 1989 Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or Award as well as an Academy Award® nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

STEPHENIE MEYER

STEPHENIE MEYER (Writer, Producer) is a bestselling author and film producer who has gained worldwide recognition for her original and captivating stories, with unprecedented success for her book-turned-film series, Twilight. In 2011, Meyer started Fickle Fish Films, her production company with producing partner, Meghan Hibbett. Inspired by the process of translating her best-selling series to the screen, Meyer aims to help fellow authors transition their work into feature films. Meyer and Hibbett will work with new and established filmmakers to produce smart, compelling and entertaining material, and simultaneously discover new literary talent and help bring their stories to life on screen.

Under the Fickle Fish banner, Meyer recently wrapped shooting on The Host, an adaptation of her novel, starring Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger, Jake Abel, Max Irons, and William Hurt, directed by Andrew Niccol. Fickle Fish spent much of 2011 producing both parts of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn as well as the film adaptation of New York Times Bestselling author Shannon Hale's Austenland, directed by Jerusha Hess and starring Keri Russell, Bret Mckenzie, Jennifer Coolidge, JJ Feild and Jane Seymour. Austenland premiered at Sundance 2013 and will be released this summer by Sony Pictures Worldwide. Meyer most recently announced that she would be producing an adaptation of Lois Duncan's classic Down a Dark Hall, as well as an adaptation of the popular ghost story Anna Dressed in Blood.

Best known for her #1 bestselling Twilight saga series, Meyer’s four-book collection has sold over 116 million copies globally in over 50 countries, with translations in 49 different languages. Meyer was the highest-selling author of 2008 and 2009 in the United States, having sold over 29 million books in 2008, and 26.5 million books in 2009. In 2008, Meyer also released The Host, which debuted at #1 on The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. So far, The Host has sold over 3 million copies in 42 countries, with translations in 40 different languages. Additionally, USA Today declared Meyer “Author of the Year,” citing that she had done something that no one else had in the 15 years of the USA Today bestselling book list-- she swept the top four slots in 2008. Meyer also accomplished this feat in 2009, when The Twilight Saga once again dominated the top of the bestseller list. All together, her books have spent over 303 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Stephenie Meyer graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English Literature. She lives in Arizona with her husband and sons.

STEVE SCHWARTZ

STEVE SCHWARTZ (Producer) is the president of Chockstone Pictures. Most recently, Schwartz completed work on Susanne Bier’s Serena, based on the novel by Ron Rash and starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. In the works is Ridley Scott’s The Counselor, written by Cormac McCarthy, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.

Most recently, Schwartz produced Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Andrew Dominik. His previous credits include The Road, based on Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and directed by John Hillcoat. The film, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.

Projects in development include Killer Instinct, with Bruce Beresford attached to direct; The Last of the Tribe; Hidden Mountain: Unsaid, based on the novel by Neil Abramson; Spiral, based on the techno-thriller by Paul McEuen; and Wrong Move, based on the novel by Jonathan Stone.
Schwartz was a co-executive producer on Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture.

In 1990, together with his wife Paula Mae, Schwartz co-founded a technology marketing agency that was named to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies three times. The company was acquired by Publicis. Previously Schwartz was Jack Welch’s speechwriter at GE and a software company executive.

Schwartz holds an M.F.A. from Columbia University’s School of the Arts (Writing Division). At Columbia he studied with Anthony Burgess and Nadine Gordimer. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Bowdoin College, where a building bears his name (the Schwartz Outdoor Leadership Center).

An avid climber, hiker and kayaker, Schwartz has served on the boards of the American Alpine Club, the Appalachian Mountain Club and Bowdoin College.

PAULA MAE SCHWARTZ

PAULA MAE SCHWARTZ (Producer) is CEO of Chockstone Pictures. Most recently, Schwartz completed work on Susanne Bier’s Serena, based on the novel by Ron Rash and starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence. In post-production now is The Counselor, written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott, starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.

Schwartz recently produced Andrew Dominik’s Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt, Ray Liotta and Richard Jenkins. Her previous credits include The Road, based on Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and directed by John Hillcoat. The film, which starred Viggo Mortensen and Charlize Theron, was nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.

Projects in development include Killer Instinct, with Bruce Beresford attached to direct; The Last of the Tribe; Hidden Mountain: Unsaid, based on the novel by Neil Abramson; Spiral, based on the techno-thriller by Paul McEuen; and Wrong Move, based on the novel by Jonathan Stone.
Schwartz was a co-executive producer on Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, starring Brad Pitt, which won the Palme d’Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for a 2012 Academy Award for Best Picture.

Chockstone Pictures is the second company that Paula Mae and Steve Schwartz co-founded. In 1990 they started a technology marketing agency that three times was named to the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies. The company was acquired by Publicis.

Schwartz is the former president and board chair of the Gloucester Stage Company, a professional equity theater known for introducing new plays. Many of these productions have gone on to Broadway and the world stage.

After earning her B.A. from Boston University, Schwartz started her career in journalism at Newsweek. She moved on to advertising firms D’Arcy McManus and Richard Weiner, Inc., where the American Film Institute was her client. Schwartz taught in the AFI’s “Filmmakers in the Schools” program.

MARC BUTAN

MARC BUTAN (Executive Producer) has worked in film production since 1998. Butan has used his combination of creative and business experience to focus on supporting top talent in producing high quality but reasonably budgeted films.

In late 2011 Butan joined with Annapurna Pictures to form Panorama Media, which officially launched at Cannes 2012. Panorama is a full-service sales and production financing entity that handles international sales, financing and worldwide distribution on a proprietary slate of films for Annapurna. The company also serves as the international sales agent on selected third-party titles.

From 2010 to 2011 Butan worked with Inferno Entertainment, a sales and production-finance company. There he helped to launch such films as The Grey, directed by Joe Carnahan and starring Liam Neeson, and Killing Them Softly, directed by Andrew Dominik and starring Brad Pitt.

From 2004 through 2009 Butan served as the president of 2929 Productions. He supervised the production of films including George Clooney’s 2005 Best Picture nominee Good Night, and Good Luck; the critically acclaimed family film and 2006 NAACP Image Award nominee Akeelah and the Bee, starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett; dark thriller Turistas, for which domestic rights were sold to Fox Atomic in a pre-emptive bid within hours of the film’s first screening; James Gray’s crime thriller We Own the Night, starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Duvall and Eva Mendes, which ranked as the largest-ever domestic sale at Cannes; and The Road, an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel starring Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron and Robert Duvall, which pre-sold to The Weinstein Company in a multi-party bidding war.

From 2000 to 2004 Butan was an executive vice president of production at Lionsgate Films. Previously Butan worked at Ignite Entertainment, an independent film production and financing company founded by Michael Burns, from 1998 to 2000.

Before beginning his career in motion-picture production, Butan worked in the investment banking industry at Kidder, Peabody and Co. and then at Prudential Securities. At both firms Butan was a member of the media and entertainment investment-banking group.

Butan graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Ohio State University in 1992 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration.

JIM SEIBEL

JIM SEIBEL (Executive Producer) is a highly respected executive producer in the independent film community.

In the past six years Seibel has executive produced and handled foreign sales on more than a dozen feature films with top-tier talent. Working with institutional financial partners such as ABN AMRO, D.B. Zwirn, Bank of America and Comerica Bank, Seibel has arranged more than $500M of production financing
Recent films that Seibel has either executive produced or arranged financing for include Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt; Killer Elite, starring Jason Statham, Robert De Niro and Clive Owen; and The Grey starring Liam Neeson.

Seibel started his career in the mailroom at Saban Entertainment. Shortly thereafter Seibel became the executive assistant to both Mel Woods (COO) and Haim Saban (CEO) of Saban/Fox Family Entertainment. Seibel advanced through the executive ranks, becoming responsible for the company’s development and foreign distribution of feature films and scripted television series.

In 1999 as Saban/Fox was in talks to be acquired by Disney, Seibel departed with an offer to become vice president of sales at Unapix Entertainment. This new endeavor provided Seibel with the experience to oversee the company’s domestic television operations, which included distribution, syndication and acquisitions. At the time Unapix was the leading independent supplier of feature films to such broadcasters as HBO, Cinemax, Starz/Encore, TBS, TNN, Showtime, iNDEMAND, etc.

A native of Florida, Seibel began his college education with a focus on pharmacology. Realizing that he had an entrepreneurial spirit and an interest in entertainment and finance, Seibel relocated to Los Angeles in 1995.

BILL JOHNSON

BILL JOHNSON (Executive Producer) is a founder of IF Entertainment which is recognized as one of the top international sales companies in Hollywood.
IF is currently producing two-to-three feature films per year in addition to handling international sales for other productions. Mr. Johnson has arranged more than $500 million in institutional equity and debt financing during his career, including deals with Comerica Bank, ABN AMRO and New York-based hedge fund D.B. Zwirn.

In 2008 Johnson orchestrated a multi-picture distribution deal with Sony Entertainment. Since 2003 Johnson has produced or executive produced 20 films including recent titles The Grey, starring Liam Neeson and Killing Them Softly, starring Brad Pitt and James Gandolfini.

Johnson is a native of Chicago who was a two-time All-American tennis player at California State University, Northridge. Later, he attended film courses at both USC and the American Film Institute.

After graduating from college in 1987 Johnson founded an insurance brokerage firm called The Liberty Company. The company quickly became successful and in 2002, Johnson decided to step back from day-to-day management of Liberty in order to focus his efforts on his film endeavors. Today, under Johnson’s guidance as chairman, Liberty and its online subsidiary Clickinsure continue to grow. The company currently writes more than $80 million in annual insurance premiums for consumers throughout the U.S.

Johnson founded a public charity in 2004 called The Enlightenment Network, which has the mission of supporting youth education programs.

Johnson lives on the beach in Venice, California, with his wife, Leah, and children Skyler, Jett and Jade.

RAY ANGELIC

RAY ANGELIC (Executive Producer) is a Los Angeles-based producer whose credits include a host of critically acclaimed independent and genre films. Most recently he was an executive producer on the Dreamwork's Vince Vaughn film Delivery Man. Prior to that Ray was Executive Producer on Fright Night, starring Colin Farrell, Toni Collette and Anton Yelchin, and Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Dianne Wiest, Catherine Keener and Samantha Morton. The latter film screened in competition at the Cannes Film Festival, won two Independent Spirit Awards, received numerous critics’ awards and earned three nominations from the Visual Effects Society.

Previously Angelic was a producer on the apocalyptic thriller Carriers, starring Chris Pine, Lou Pucci and Piper Perabo. This was just the latest of several collaborations with producer Anthony Bregman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind).

Angelic’s first producing project was Bob Gosse’s Julie Johnson, starring Courtney Love and Lilli Taylor. The film, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was produced in conjunction with the New York-based independent production company Shooting Gallery, where Angelic had a production deal at the time.

ROBERTO SCHAEFER

ROBERTO SCHAEFER, ASC, AIC (Director of Photography) earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Cinematography for the 2004 film Finding Neverland, starring Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. Since then he has shot a dozen films, including The Paperboy, The Kite Runner, Machine Gun Preacher, Stay and Quantum of Solace. In 2000 the AFI honored his work on Christopher Guest’s Best in Show as one of the Top 10 Movies of the Year.
Schaefer has lensed many hundreds of music videos, commercials, documentaries and more. He was nominated for a CableAce award for Best Cinematography for the 1994 Showtime movie of the week “Roadracers.”

Schaefer has been making moving images since childhood, when he began using his father’s 8mm camera. His early creations were music videos and dramatic and experimental shorts. He then attended art school and received a B.F.A. in multimedia and conceptual art, with a minor in photography.

After a four-year hiatus traveling the world and discovering life, Schaefer started as a producer of TV commercials in New York City. At the same time he took side jobs shooting news documentaries for European TV outlets and short films for friends and filmmakers in the city.

In 1982 Schaefer moved to Rome to shoot a feature film for a friend. Ten years later, after three features and dozens of TV commercials, music videos and documentaries, he moved to Los Angeles to enter the Hollywood film world.

When not working on film projects, Schaefer enjoys still photography and art.

ANDY NICHOLSON

ANDY NICHOLSON (Production Designer) is a multi-award winning Production Designer and Supervising Art Director with 18 years experience working predominantly on American Studio pictures.

He completed filming in London as the Production Designer of Gravity the Warner Brothers 3D space suspense film written and directed by Alfonso Cuaron and at wrap moved immediately onto THE HOST with director Andrew Niccol which is due to release in March 2013.

Gravity is a groundbreaking venture, setting a new standard for the integration of Visual Effects and Digital Technology alongside traditional film design and technique. The Host is a more traditional mix of set builds and location shoots, with integration (again) of visual effect nuances on a much thriftier budget.

In 1989 Andy graduated from Brighton College with an MA (Hons) in Architecture. From 1990 & 1993 he worked for architectural firms in London and Toronto. Andy decided to leave architecture to pursue a career in motion picture art departments; he volunteered at the prestigious British National Film & Television School where he turned down the offer of a permanent placement due to the success he was having as a Commercials and Promos Art Director.

In 1994 Production Designer, Eugenio Zanetti offered Andy his first feature film position and he became part of the Oscar winning design team of Restoration. Andy began five years of working his way up through the Art Department.

In 1999 Andy began working as an Art Director for Production Designer Rick Heinrichs on Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow; this was the first of several collaborations and in 2000 Sleepy Hollow won the Academy Award for Production Design. As an Art Director he has worked in many countries (Morocco, Spain, Italy, France, Holland, Israel, Malta, Canada, United States); he has been fortunate enough to collaborate with top Motion Picture Directors and Production Designers on international projects as diverse as Tony Scott’s Spy Game, Paul Greengrass’ The Bourne Ultimatum, Troy & The Mummy.

Between 2000 and 2002 Andy worked in the art department of two award winning HBO projects as an Assistant Art Director on the miniseries Band of Brothers, and as Supervising Art Director on the made for television movie Live From Baghdad.

In 2004 Andy worked as an Art Director on Tim Burton’s Charlie and The Chocolate Factory for Production Designer, Alex McDowell, RDI. McDowell then offered Andy his first role as a feature film Supervising Art Director on Anthony Minghella’s final film Breaking and Entering. Shortly after the completion of Breaking and Entering Production Designer, Rick Heinrichs returned to work in the UK and offered Andy the role of Supervising Art Director on The Wolfman. Andy followed this film by again working with Director Tim Burton and Production Designer Robert Stromberg as part of the Oscar winning design team for Alice in Wonderland.

In late 2009 Production Designer, Rick Heinrichs again asked Andy to join him and this time in Los Angeles as Supervising Art Director for the design development of Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie at Disney. After returning to the UK in 2010 Andy worked with Rick on Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel’s first UK production.

Andy has long been an advocate of immersive design and is a regular participant of the design forum 5D: The Future of Immersive Design and 5D’s transmedia events. He closely follows the development of technology and software, continually pushing the use of 3D modeling and CAD within film art departments and actively seeks to assimilate digital technology with traditional design workflows, integrating all disciplines that help to bring the written word to the screen.

Andy is currently in Production, designing Divergent in Chicago for Director Neil Burger and is definitely having too much fun exploring the look of this wondrous American city in the distant future as created from his collaborative personage and endless imagination with the entire team.

Erin is responsible for the costume design on director Ryan Fleck’s SUGAR, his follow up feature to Erin’s first feature, Half Nelson. She most recently completed Derek Cianfrance’s new film Place Beyond the Pines with Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendez and it will be in theaters March 2013.

Erin most recently completed Andrew Niccol’s science fiction feature, The Host which is currently scheduled for a US release on March 29, 2013.

VE NEILL

VE NEILL (Makeup Artist) is one of the most renowned makeup artists in the motion picture business and has set many standards of excellence in her field. Over the course of her career Neill has won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, four Saturn Awards, a BAFTA Award, Local 706 Best Character Makeup Award and the first Artist to be awarded Hollywood Foreign Press “Makeup Artist of the Year” Awards well as the first Makeup Artist to be honored as Makeup Artist of the Year by MAC Cosmetics. That is a total of 21 international nominations and wins for her creative and innovative makeups.

From her early career as a rock 'n roll stylist, Neill began to develop her skills as a designer and makeup artist. Specializing in concept, design and execution, Neill entered the film industry and discovered a talent for extreme fantasy makeup.

Neill created space travelers for the first "Star Trek" film and for the hit comedy "Galaxy Quest", rock 'n roll vampires for Joel Schumacher's "The Lost Boys" and visions of the Afterlife for Tim Burton's wacky comedy "Beetlejuice." She turned Johnny Depp into scissors wielding anti-hero for “Edward Scissorhands” , Robin Williams into a Scottish nanny for "Mrs. Doubtfire," Martin Landau into horror king Bela Lugosi for "Ed Wood" and brought to life an onslaught of villains, beauties and super-heroes for Warner Brothers' early "Batman" series. She gave Patricia Arquette the "Stigmata", transformed Christine Baranski into the "Grinch's" sexy girlfriend, aged Johnny Depp 60 years for the film “Blow” and turned Jude Law into the perfect Love-Robot for Steven Spielberg's “A.I..” Neill continues her illustrious career with an assortment of new characters ranging from possessed beings in “Constantine” and a slew of dirty, drunken, barnacle encrusted camp Pirates for the “Pirates if the Caribbean” series.

In 2007 she turned Johnny Depp into the infamous Butcher Barber of Fleet Street for the film musical “Sweeney Todd” and transformed Mike Myers into the “The Love Guru”. Next was the “The Soloist” starring Robert Downey Jr., Jamie Foxx, and Catherine Keener. Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor on the film “I Love You Phillips Morris.” In 2009 there was “Priest” starring Paul Bettany, Maggie Q, Carl Urban, Cam Gigandet, Stephen Moyer and Lily Collins. In 2010 she headed up the Special Makeup FX Dept. for the film “Thor”.

In the fall of 2010 she swung in to action as the Dept. Head for “The Amazing Spiderman” and has recently had the huge hit, “The Hunger Games” starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. She just finished filming “The Host”, Stephanie Meyer’s new book.

Throughout her career Neill has worked with many of Hollywood's brightest stars. Jack Nicholson, Keira Knightley, Julia Roberts, Danny DeVito, Sarah Jessica Parker, Johnny Depp, Uma Thurman, Orlando Bloom, Sigourney Weaver, Jude Law, Ethan Hawke, Catherine Keener, Jim Carrey, Andy Garcia, Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Lawrence and Woody Harrelson, Saoirse Ronan, Diane Kruger and William Hurt have all called upon Neill for her expertise with Beauty, the Bizarre and lots of Wild Characters. This is a small part of the all-star list of clientele who enjoy the touch of Neill's magical brush.

She has now added the title, “Judge” to her resume for the new hit reality TV Show “Face Off” on the Syfy channel. The show highlights Special Makeup FX and is now gearing up to shoot Season 5.